Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia phaeacantha) Pollen

This is pollen collected from one of the many varieties of prickly pear cactuses in the Coachella Valley of California. The pollen has not been acetalized and is mounted in a medium with a refactive index of 1.49. This is at intermediate 2 focus.

Transmitted Brightfield Illumination

Definition/Function:

KINGDOM: Plantae UNRANKED: Angiosperms UNRANKED: Eudicots UNRANKED: Core Eudicots ORDER: Caryophyllales FAMILY: Cactaceae SUBFAMILY: Opuntioideae TRIBE: Opuntieae GENUS: Opuntia SPECIES: phaeacantha

Significance in the Environment:

Characteristic Features:

Associated Particles:

References:

Faegri, Knut and Johs Iversen, TEXTBOOK OF POLLEN ANALYSIS, Hafner Publishing Company, 1964.

Kapp, Ronald O., HOW TO KNOW POLLEN AND SPORES, Wm. C. Brown Company, 1969.

Moore, P.D., J. A. Webb, and M. E. Collinson, POLLEN ANALYSIS, Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1991